Thanks for joining me on my amazing adventure!!

Wow, what a vacation! It is hard to believe that I left about six months ago and I am now back in Houston, Texas!

I have done some of the most adrenaline rushing activities, seen some of the most spectacular sites and animals, met some of the nicest and weirdest people, been out of my comfort zone more than I ever thought possible, been emerged into many new cultures, peed in some of the most disgusting places, had my heartbroken, learned many new words, tasted some nasty food and some of the best food in the World, ate a worm, slept in some strange places, bought way too many souvenirs, lived out of a backpack, mailed things home three different times, learned that we can never stop learning, gain respect for so many new cultures, worn bug spray as my perfume for months, skipped showers, worn the same clothes for days, been diving off some beautiful islands and so much more! God has created one beautiful World and I hope to never stop exploring and learning about it!

I want to thank everyone I met along the journey and invite you all to stay with me when you come visit Texas! I also want to thank all my family and friends for the continued support and love, looking at all my photos and reading my blog! A big thanks to Jordan Jones for always making me smile and being the BEST friend! We have memories that are going to be absolutely hilarious to tell in our nursing home one day! I am truly blessed by God and this adventure has reminded me to count my blessings everyday!

"Faith is not being sure where you're going, but going anyway." - Frederick Buechner

Seattle, Vancouver and Victoria

Jordan sent me off the right way with drinks and live music! It was super fun and we ended up running away from some crazy guys! I sure am going to miss getting to hang out with Ms. Jones everyday but I am excited to keep up with her blog! I am excited about all her future adventures! She was a huge support this entire trip! I flew to Manila on the 8th of March and splurged with a hotel right by the next to the airport.

Here are the details for my last few days in Seattle, Vancouver and Victoria with my mom! And I am back in the states for a while! The food has been soooooo good but still adjusting to it! And I love seeing my family and friends! I really am a lucky girl!

3/9 - Seattle, WA

I flew from Manila to Tokyo to Seattle. I had some McDonalds at the airport in Japan but only had about an hour before I was boarding the next flight.

My cousin, Christopher, picked me up from the Seattle Airport around 8:30 am and took me out to breakfast! Yum, American food! We drove thought Pike's Market and headed to the hotel. I was exhausted and took a very long nap. My Mom arrived around 3 pm and woke me up. We headed to the space needle and watched the sunset. We walked around downtown until Christopher was about to die of starvation. He chose to eat and have whiskey at The Whiskey Bar. It was good but not much food so we stopped for tacos on the way home. I have been craving a taco with guacamole and salsa!

3/10 - La Conner, WA

In the morning, we went to Pike's Market where we tired fresh smoked salmon, beef jerky, honey and bought a whole crab to have for lunch! We also got to see the first Starbucks which had a very long line and the gum wall. Christopher forgot the gum so we did not contribute. We did have some wonderful pastries from a little shop outside the market.

We drove north of Seattle to the Boeing Plant. Christopher is being moved to Seattle with Boeing so he saved us $10 on our admission ticket for the Boeing Tour. The tour lasted about 1.5 hours and was very good. We got to see three lines of the planes being built and learn about how they assemble the planes. They make planes so fast! We got to see a dream lifter plane and I believe there are only 4 in the World at this time. It was a really good tour and I recommend it to anyone headed to Seattle.

We continued North to La Conner, WA. We had dinner at Nell Thorn Restaurant. It is suppose to be one of the best restaurants in the northeast region. It was very good and we all had happy plates, wine and dessert. Yum! We tired to go to the local brewery but it closed at 9 pm.

3/11 - Vancouver, BC Canada

Christopher left early in the morning while Mom and I got to sleep in. On the way out of town, we stopped to take pictures of the geese and mallard ducks. We crossed the border with no problems. We arrived and Vancouver and headed to Grouse Mountain which is about 15 minutes outside of the city. The night ski pass was the same price as the ticket to just ride to the top of the mountain on the gondola so why not get a few runs in! We rented ski pants and skis at the top of the mountain and spent a few hours skiing down the mountain. It was beautiful to see all the city lights when going down the slopes. I made it to the top of the mountain and the view was great. There was only one blue down that I did not think Mom would enjoy. We had dinner on the mountain. We drove back through Vancouver along Robson Street to see all the shops. Some were still open! We walked around by our hotel but it was starting to rain.

3/12 - Victoria, BC Canada on Vancouver Island

We sleep in!! We headed to Stanley Park. We drove to the totem poles and got some great pictures of the Lion's Gate Bridge even with all the rain. We headed to the BC ferry to Victoria but got a little turned around and missed the early ferry. We took the 5 pm ferry and it was an 1.5 hour ride. It was very beautiful going through all the islands and reminded me a little of Halong Bay in Vietnam.

We arrived at The Fairmont Empress hotel right by the beautiful parliament building. It was a beautiful hotel and the door man was super sweet. He drove us to a local restaurant because of the rain. We had an amazing fish dinner and headed to a local Irish pub.

3/13 - Victoria, BC Canada on Vancouver Island

In the morning, we went to the Canadian Naval Base for a tour. Unfortunately, we were not able to see the ships as some of the VIPs were in town. We did tour the simulations rooms and got to see some of the officers practicing. We had meet a guy from Uganda in the Canadian Navy at the Irish pub and he offered to show us around. We walked around the super cute town and shopped in the little shops. We had afternoon tea at the Empress Hotel it was very nice and lots of yummy sweets! Then, we drove to the Butchet Gardens. The gardens were beautiful but we were early for the spring season. They did have a spring preview green room so we still got to see some of the upcoming flowers. It was a beautiful place! We headed back to town.

3/14 - Seattle, WA

We took the 10:30 am ferry back to Washington. We drove into Olympic National Park and hiked to one of the waterfalls. It is a beautiful park and I would love to do some more hiking in the summer at this park. I can only imagine the views of the surrounding mountains and ocean. We missed getting to see the salmon jump up the river but I think that is a hard thing to see anyways. Mom let me drive and I think I scared her a bit. I had not driven in a while! We crossed another ferry and meet up with my mom's friend, Sandy, and her family. We stayed the night with them and headed out of dinner. We went to a local brewery and I learned that Seattle has a lot of breweries all around (similar to Portland). It was fun to meet their family. They had a super sweet dog that made me so excited to see Bella.

3/15 - Flight back to Houston, Texas!!

We went to Pikes Market in the morning to bring home some fresh fish for the family. Getting on the flight was a bit crazy but we got on. Dad had made me a hilarious outdoor toilet/hole for me when I got home. And he had sonic drinks for us when he picked us up at the airport. Also, he brought Bella to the airport!! I was waving at them when they pulled up. She jumped out of the car and was crying, wagging her tail and really low to the ground. I think she remembered me!

Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia Pictures!

Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia

From trucks to trains to mini vans and now traveling mostly by plane. Island hopping has been so amazing! The beach is my favorite place to be and what a great way to finish my Southeast Asia trip! It has been a blast and I might have to drive to Galveston just to feel the sand in my toes again when I get home. I wish I could be a sea shell sales women as my profession when I grow up!

Here are the details of the last few days!

2/27 - Manila, Philippines

We sleep in and then headed to the local bus station. You stand on the side of the street until the bus with the correct destination drives by. They don't really stop and you run up and ask if they go to Valcano Taal. They say yes and you jump on. You pay once you are on and going. It was about a 2 hour bus ride due to the crazy Manila traffic. Cars are going every direction on all parts of the road....crazy! We then hopped on a tricycle and headed down the mountain to a lake. We negotiated a boat ride over to the volcano. We lost a little money on the boat ride but I guess that is all part of traveling. We hiked about 45 minutes up to the crater of the volcano. On the way up, you could see the steam coming out of the side of the volcano. The crater looks like a big lake with steam coming up. The volcano is surrounded by a lake all around. It really was awesome and I think my first volcano crater to see. I have been on a volcano but never seen the top! We hiked down, hopped on a tricycle and then a bus back to Manila. With no lunch, I was grumpy and wanted my bed and food! The hostel has AC and I think I could sleep forever....the little things in the western life that I miss!

2/28 - Airport in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei

We headed to the mall and I had a great burger. We watched a movie at the theater in the mall. At the hostel, we had meet some guys and headed out for a local dinner. It was yummy and we got halo halo or fruit ice cream. It was interesting. The last layer was black beans...not something I would ever put in ice cream. We headed to the airport around 9:30 pm for an 11 pm flight.

1/1 - Kota Kinabalu (KK), Malaysia

We arrived in Brunei around 1:45 am. Not wanting to pay for a cab and hotel, we stayed In the transit terminal. This was not allowed but the hotel man at the airport told the security to come back in the morning! We left our bags and just prayed they would be taken to lost and found for us to pick up in the morning. We woke up about 8:30 am and had breakfast. Then, we went through immigration, got our bags from lost and found, exited customs and waited in the airport entrance for about two hours until we could check in. We flew from Brunei around 1:45 pm and arrived in KK in the afternoon after a 35 minute flight. We checked into out hostel and I was exhausted. We went for dinner at the outdoor market. The fish, squid, huge shrimps and crabs were all swimming around as it was set up just like a pet store would be back home. We had grouper and noodles. It was okay. I walked to the night market but it was very flashy jewelry and clothes not really crafts. Headed back to the hostel and finally finished a book that I had been carrying around for way to long. It was about an American photographer in Vietnam during the Vietnam War....pretty good. It is fun to read books about places you have been. If history classes could take you to all the places you learn about, it would have such a great influence and be so incredibly interesting!

1/2 - Semporna, Malaysia

We headed to the bus station around 7:30 am to catch the 8:30 am bus to Semporna. It was a 9 hour ride. We got to drive right past the tallest mountain on the island, MT Kinabalu. It is 4,095 meters high. (Kyle Uran - I skipped hiking it as I will just wait to climb a mountain with Mel, Carson and you one day!) Well, dinner and the evening was a little eventful. We were eating at a restaurant about two blocks from our hotel. We were outside on the sidewalk and had just gotten our food when we were asked to come inside. We got our food and sat at a table inside. They closed all the doors meaning the two garage size openings were closed. It was us and the family that owned the restaurant. We asked if everything was okay and they said yes just some fighting. They opened the doors to pick up the tables and we asked if it was okay to walk home. They said to walk straight home. When we got in vision of our hotel, everything was closed up including the rod iron gates in front of the entrance. Luckily once they spotted us, they opened the door and waved us on. We ran the rest of the way. We asked again what was going on. Not knowing how to say it, the worker acted like he was shooting a machine gun. Then, the lady said it is best we just stay in our room for the night.

Jordan googled that a group of Filipinos came to the island of Borneo to claim part of the island as theirs from the Malaysians. I don't know all the correct terms but the Malaysian police have been told to just get rid of the Filipinos on the island. I heard two people died in Semporna the night we stayed and more people were killed north of Semporna. I guess that explains why we had to show our passports three times to military men with machine guns on the bus ride to Semporna.

1/3 - Seaventures Dive Rig, Mabul, Malaysia

Jordan was up early to call Seaventures Dive Rig to see if we could stay a few nights and dive with them since they never returned our email. They did! They picked us at the hotel at 9:30 am and checked in at their shop. We waited for the rest of the divers and then headed to the dock. We took a 45 minute boat ride to an old exploratory rig from Panama and right off the island of Mabul. We checked in and went for our first two dives that afternoon. We got to see huge sea turtles, tons of fish and my first seahorse. The coral was nothing to rave about on the first two dives. The rig is pretty cool and we watch the sunset from the top deck while having a beer! Wonderful! The rig is a little over budget but totally worth it!

1/4 - Seaventures Dive Rig, Mabul, Malaysia

We went on three dives right around the rig for the day! We rented a camera and got some pretty cool pictures. I got a video of a sea turtle trying to eat from Nemo's home (a group of clown fishes home). It was so cool to see the fish running into the turtle so he would leave their home alone. We also went to an island that is now under water during high tide and only a sand bar appears during low tide. All the bungalows are build right over the water. My favorite dive for the day was Lobster Wall.

All meals are included and coffee is free all day on the rig. It is a pretty sweet set up and everyone on the rig is super nice. There are two older guys from Texas which it is always nice to hear your home twang! Also, a group our age from Malaysia and Singapore.

1/5 - Seaventures Dive Rig, Mabul, Malaysia

We extend our stay a night so we could dive Sipadan Island, suppose to be one of the best dive sites in the World. Dive number one included a hammer head shark (which I have to admit I missed), tons of fish, a huge school of barracuda swimming over our head (so many that I was not sure where to look) and white and back tip sharks all around. We got to dive to about 26 meters to see all the sharks (not allowed for an open water diver)....oops! It was a pretty amazing dive! The island was just beautiful with white sand and crystal clear water. I did not have a camera so just a view I hope to remember forever! A little background on the island is that in 2001, 11 white tourist were kidnapped from the island. This is why no one is allowed to stay on the island. There is a military station there with their guns and sand bags. We also had to check in to dive the island as they only allow 120 people a day to dive the island. The second two dives were also very good wall dives. The coral was beautiful and the fish were amazing! Great dive day!

1/6 - Tawau, Malaysia

We woke up and did two morning dives. The were alright dives but nothing compared to the day before. I think I have learned to slow down on my dives because as you watch, things that look like coral start moving around. These last four days of diving have made me fall more in love with diving! If you are not certified, go get certified now!!! I am not joking.

We also jumped off the rig lift today into the water. It was about a 8 to 10 meter jump depending on the tide. It was a rush! We took the 1:30 boat and bus to Tawau where we will fly to Kota Kinabalu from. We have to wait 24 hours before we can fly after our last dive.

We arrived in Tawau and headed to the local food stalls for dinner. It was so much fun. We spent $6 usd on BBQ chicken, noodle stir fry, two cokes and a egg/pancake/veggie thing. It was so good and the locals were cracking up at each other when I was taking pictures of them. I did not understand a word! We even received a tin foil rose from one of the cooks. It really was a blast!

1/7 - Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

Fly from Tawau to KK. Just nothing much during the day but catching up on the blog, Facebook and my cousin Chris is picking me up from the airport in Seattle....woooohooo!

1/8 - Manila, Philippines

Fly to Manila for the night!

1/9 - On a plane over the Pacific Ocean

Fly to Tokyo and then to Seattle to hang out with Christopher and my mom!!! So excited!!